Americanisms

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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:42 am

Lots of of comments at the bottom of the page.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14201796

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:02 am

My pet peeves include 'Rest room'. I want a dump, not a rest.

Quote:

I hate the fact I now have to order a "regular Americano." What ever happened to a medium sized coffee?

Having finally grasped that the coffee I want is internationally known as an Americano, I asked for one in a cafe in Long Beach, California. The guy looked at me like I was from Mars. If that wasn't enough, the egg and bacon I ordered came as an egg bagel. Rolling Eyes

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:08 am

One that use to get my goat, was after giving directions, they would turn around and say "Are you sure".
One woman gave me a funny look, when i turned around and answered, "not anymore". Laughing

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:13 am

I refuse to call chips 'fries' or tomato sauce 'ketchup' and will NEVER put 'gas' in my car.

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:40 am

I don't know if this is an Americanism, but somone using the word "irregardless" makes me want to go on a killing spree

what about people who use scientific therms to sound smarter but use them wrong? "That happened light years ago"

aaaagghhhh!!

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:33 am

One word: Football.

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:36 am

On behalf of all my countrymen,please accept our humble apologies Laughing

Truth be known,there are a few on that list that make me cringe too.

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:49 am

TheDane wrote:

One word: Football.

Shut your mouth! Very Happy

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:06 pm

Quote:

I refuse to call chips 'fries' or tomato sauce 'ketchup' and will NEVER put 'gas' in my car.

And, I refuse to call an elevator a "lift" , a car's hood a "bonnet" or a policeman a "bobby".

Viva la difference.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Sep 2008 Posts: 689

and just where is a city's "downtown"?

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:12 pm

This is an Elk, damnit!

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:19 pm

I've always disliked "Got beer?" instead of "Do you have any beer?"

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:16 pm

Quote:

"I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less"

Lookie here, y'all. That's the way we say it 'cause we know what we mean!

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:22 pm

I'm still waiting for somebody to teach them the correct spelling of 'aluminium'.

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 2:31 pm

#50 - "I could care less".

Baiting Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Posts: 21158

I smell a hickabilly mode here! Now looky here folks! You needs to get to the filling staion, put some are in them there tars, have yer earl checked.

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 2:56 pm

Note to self - - use as many of these expressions in conversation as possible, next time I encounter a limey.

Bruin

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:09 pm

Mortal wrote:

I've always disliked "Got beer?" instead of "Do you have any beer?"

What you mean is "can I have some of your beer" Wink

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:20 pm

^^^ No! It's mine! MINE!

Baiting Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Posts: 21158

Want some directions to the filling station? You go past Ol" Boy's fishing ho and go left. Drive till you see the cow standin at the connerpost, then go the udder ways. Drive on that newfangled road for a ways and thar will be a stick in the deech. Pull the reigns to the left and youll be there in a flash!

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 3:25 pm

Round these parts, "Got" is the initiation of any reasonable conversation that leads to friendly commerce:

"Got burgers and fries?"
"Got any corn likker out back?"
"Got a fiddler in the band here tonight?"

etc., etc.

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

I find it all a bit insulting and I hope this thread won't become one for bashing Americans.
I haven't even heard some of those phrases used. America is a big place, with lots of regional terms. We don't all speak the same way. Laughing

From the comments:

Quote:

From an American perspective - most of the listed examples of bad grammar are still considered to be bad grammar in the US. Also I get that weird Americanisms probably drive people nuts in the UK, but do you realize how many crazy slang words people say over there? They must be making up new ones every few days!

and

Quote:

"I could care less" isn't an Americanism, it's just a grammatical error.

As for "that'll learn you" - I think that's more a product of Britain than anywhere!

And what the hell is wrong with "train station"? Haven't they always been called trains?!

This is a pretty ridiculous list - half of the things on it I don't believe are even Americanisms. They're just things people don't like.

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:23 pm

Oh boy, I can go on with UK and other commonwealth terms,

Go to hospital (Go to THE hospital!!) Use articles people!!

Chance of cloud today. How about CLOUDS!! or CLOUDY!! I can picture only one little cloud floating in the sky.

Vitamin pronounced Vit-I-Min. It's pronounced Vai-Tuh-Men.

Then again in Maine, people speak all f**ked up: http://gonewengland.about.com/od/maine/a/aa-speak-mainer.htm

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:29 pm

Bart Fargo wrote:

Oh boy, I can go on with UK and other commonwealth terms,

Concur. I spent time in the UK and never got used to "the lot."

During my Air Force days I worked with an RAF exchange officer. One day he needed a pencil eraser. He wondered why he got a drop-jaw thirty second stare from the secretary when he asked her for a rubber.

As others pointed out, many of the expressions on the BBC list are regionalisms, and others most Americans find appalling (e.g., "my bad"). I understand that English has more dialects than any other other language, and most of them are in the UK. Inevitably, everybody is going to find something bewildering or aggravating when they move beyond their own region.

And what about that annoying Australian habit of turning nouns into diminutives? ("Pokie" or "barbie.") Mad

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:34 pm

As an American, I have my own pet peeves about what some people do to the language. My kids always use the phrase "me and him" which makes me cringe every time. I've tried to scold it out of them without success.

Ima wrote:

America is a big place, with lots of regional terms.

Not to mention expressions. How many of my non-American friends know what any of the following mean?

- Wet your whistle.
- Rode hard and put up wet.
- A duck on a June Bug.
- Barking up the wrong tree.
- Fish or cut bait.
- Go whole hog.
- A bump on a log.
- Mend fences.
- Stomping grounds.
- Bust my chops.

I'm sure English speakers in other parts of the world have plenty of their own expressions that would be absolutely meaningless to me. This would include Caribbean speakers of "the King's English" who, aside from having their own unique expressions, possess the most beautiful accent of all English speakers, IMHO.